Sure, I’d heard Gary Numan when his breakthrough single, “Are ‘Friends’ Electric” got a single play on the slightly more adventurous of Orlando’s two “FM Rock” stations the year prior. “Passing Strangers” was like a feast of synthesizers and was the first Ultravox song I’d heard after seeing the incredible music video on a pre-MTV program called Hollywood Heartbeat. The highlight of side one was the band’s second single in this new lineup. The cold false ending that stopped on a dime, only to kick in with a powerful extended coda a beat later, was a classic of its kind. Currie’s ARP solos buzzed and reverberated with powerful square waves that made me feel like I’m licking a light socket. In terms of timing, the band, who had weathered long years in the wilderness, were now about reap the seeds they had sown for the last few years as the Blitz scene would carry them to the forefront of British pop for the next few years.įor all its Euro posturing, “New Europeans” was a killer slice of synth rock being played by a band that’s taking no prisoners. “New Europeans” sported influential, Eurocentric lyrics that on close examination, really don’t mean a whole lot, but in 1980 they embodied the lure of the Continent that was filling the dreams and desires of the demi-monde who were about to get plastered with the New Romantic tag. The Scotsman was a world of difference from the lanky Foxx, sporting a less idiosyncratic if equally powerful vocal style and lacking about a foot in height! Sure, it was work, but the end result sounded so strong!Īs the song faded back down to just the CR-78, jagged guitar chords herald the next number, wherein the world got introduced to James “Midge” Ure as the new Ultravox vocalist. Billy Currie really shines here with a robust electric violin and ARP solo with his now trademark pitch bending giving his leads the vibrant quality that almost no other synthesizer players bothered to have. The album began with the distinctive dit-dit-dit of the CR-78 laying down a nice synthetic hi-hat pulse that anchors the long, but definitely not boring, instrumental “Astradyne.” At nearly seven minutes in length, it was their longest waxing since “I Want To Be A Machine” on the debut album. ![]() They quickly wrapped up what was then called the “Vienna” album after waffling over the title “Torque Point” for a little while until Chrysalis put their foot down, much to the joy of history. Chrysalis asked for a demo and got their first single master delivered instead. They managed to get signed to Chrysalis on the strength of the finished master for “Sleepwalk,” which they recorded and mixed in two days with Conny Plank again manning the boards. Having not sold large numbers and carrying debt, there weren’t many takers. They tried to hit the ground running to the best of their ability. Eventually, they took the bait and Ure was in as the new front man. Visage drummer Rusty Egan opined to Currie that in Midge Ure, he had both the vocalist and guitarist that Ultravox were starting to look around for. The song was “Fade To Grey” and was a huge hit that heralded the nascent New Romantic movement into the mainstream. ![]() When Currie next moved to working on the Visage studio project, he brought forth the demo that fellow Visage member Midge Ure, fresh from stints with The Rich Kids and Thin Lizzy, managed to help him finish up for the Visage album. While on tour with Numan, Currie was working out some ideas on the side with fellow keyboardist Chris Payne. Irony of ironies, Billy Currie found himself recruited by über-fan Gary Numan for his top selling “Pleasure Principle” album and tour. After the band got shelved for a while following the departures of Foxx and Simon, the members all scattered to their own respective gigs to keep some income flowing.
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